This invention relates to beverage containers of the pop top type having captive pull tabs and more particularly to means using the pull tab to identify a particular container to prevent cross contamination.
When a group is served beverages in pop top cans, and the members of the group are seated at a dining table, there is no problem with a member driving from another's can. However, when the members are moving about and setting the partially consumed cans down, such as at a party or in a fishing boat, they don't want to inadvertently pick up another's can and drink from it. It is disturbing to most and can lead to the spread of infectious disease. It is awkward to label each can separately. If they are cold, moisture coats the outside so that even if labels or markers are at hand, they cannot be easily applied.
Many beverage containers are now provided with a pull tab opener. The tab is secured to the top of the can by a rivet arrangement. When the tab is lifted at one end, the rivet acts as a fulcrum, forcing the other end down into a scored portion of the can top, breaking it free around the scored portion and bending it down into the can to provide access to the contents. The tab is then bent down flat so as to facilitate driving directly from the can. The tab in this condition is rotatable about the rivet, but is held tightly so that it will remain in the rotary position to which it is manually moved.